6 winners (and 2 losers) for Packers in crucial Week 7 win over Texans

The Green Bay Packers will never apologize for winning. Despite turning the ball over three times and trying their best to throw it away, they still found a way to take down one of the best teams in the NFL. That's impressive.

Even without playing its best football, Green Bay showed why it is one of the NFC's premier teams. Winners of three straight, Matt LaFleur's squad is building momentum, with huge matchups against the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and San Francisco 49ers just around the corner.

It may not have been a perfect performance, but several individuals came away as big winners from the Packers' crucial victory over the Texans in Week 7.

Winners and losers for Packers in important win over Texans

Winner: Eric Wilson

Wow. What a performance from Eric Wilson. The Packers needed someone to step up when Quay Walker left the game due to injury, and Wilson delivered. His stat line? Two sacks, two quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, and one pass defense.

Is Wilson one of the Packers' top two linebackers? He is certainly playing like it, and Jeff Hafley has to consider increasing his snap counts even when Walker is back.

Loser: Keisean Nixon

Keisean Nixon made one of the Packers' worst plays of the game, gifting the Texans a touchdown. Instead of fielding a punt, he bailed out at the last second, but it was too late. The ball bounced off Corey Ballentine and led to a Texans recovery, setting them up at the Green Bay 11-yard line.

No matter how much the CBS broadcast tried to blame Ballentine, this was all on Nixon. It went from a 7-3 Packers lead with the ball to a 10-7 deficit in a matter of seconds.

Winner: Jeff Hafley

Jeff Hafley deservedly received a game ball from Matt LaFleur in the locker room. He has done an outstanding job with this defense, and this may have been their best performance yet.

Many have said the Packers' defense relies too much on turnovers, which isn't sustainable over the course of a season. They silenced those doubters. The takeaways weren't there, but Green Bay showed it could consistently shut down one of the best offenses in football.

C.J. Stroud is an MVP candidate, but he completed only 10 of 21 passes for 86 yards. He faced constant pressure from the Packers' much-improved pass rush, with Hafley's unit making four sacks and seven quarterback hits. It was a dominant defensive effort from the Packers. Twelve of Houston's 22 points came off Green Bay turnovers. When the Texans had to drive the length of the field, they struggled.

Loser: Jayden Reed

Nixon's decision not to field a punt led to a turnover, but Jayden Reed also made a bad call. He should've let one go into the end zone for a touchback, but he caught it at the 2-yard line and set the Packers up in terrible field position.

Reed also had a drop and finished with 10 receiving yards and no rushing yards. It was an uncharacteristically quiet game for the Packers' star receiver.

Winner: Daniel Whelan

Daniel Whelan was one of the rare bright spots on a day to forget for the special teams. According to Cheesehead TV's Aaron Nagler, Whelan's 56.8-yard gross average is the second-best single-game average in Packers history. He hit a long of 66 yards.

The Packers wouldn't have won this game without Whelan. On top of his punting, he did a fantastic job of rescuing a bad snap on the game-winning field goal by Brandon McManus.

"Not only is he a fantastic punter, but he's a hell of a holder as well," said head coach Matt LaFleur. "I can't say enough great things about him. He definitely had a huge impact in the game today. When you average, what was it, 56.8 yards per punt? That's pretty damn good."

Winner: Evan Williams

What more can we say about Evan Williams? The rookie has taken Javon Bullard's spot as the full-time starting safety, and he deserves it. Williams is making big-time plays every single week.

The Packers won this game by two points. The difference? Williams shut down a Texans two-point conversion attempt with a beautiful tackle on running back Joe Mixon. The rookie made a team-best nine tackles, including six solo. He is a star.

Winner: Rashan Gary

Rashan Gary needed this performance. After an uncharacteristically quiet start to the season, Gary made a huge impact on the game, finishing with three quarterback hits, one tackle for loss, and his first sack since Week 1.

Hafley found creative ways to use him, including as a stand-up rusher on the inside. Even when Gary wasn't getting hits on Stroud, he hurried him and created pressure. This is the Gary the Packers expected to see.

Winner: Romeo Doubs

Romeo Doubs stepped up on a frustrating day for the Packers' offense, as he so often does. Love looked his way 10 times, with the third-year receiver catching eight passes for 94 yards. They destroyed the Texans with slants. According to ESPN's Mina Kimes, Doubs caught all six passes on slants, with five going for first downs.

It's a reminder of how important Doubs is to this offense.

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